CIRCE

CIRCE is the "Central Instructional and Research Computing Environment”. CIRCE is USF's on-campus research cloud computing cluster. A computing cluster is set of connected computers that work together. USF's Research computing maintains the CIRCE cluster. We use CIRCE to gain access to over 422 nodes (computers used as a server) with over 8,400 processor cores. CIRCE uses a Lustre parallel file system for fast I/O, and InfiniBand for a computational interconnect.

Table of Contents

Why We Use CIRCE

We utilize the processing out of CIRCE to store data, run memory-intensive scripts, and schedule scripts to be ran automatically.

We deploy memory-intensive and time-dependent scripts that we would otherwise not run on our personal computers. These scripts include automatic data collection scripts, intermittent data cleaning procedures, and various forms of analysis (such as complex sentiment analysis, and OTHER EXAMPLES). CIRCE is capable of scheduling and deploying scripts written in various languages; these languages include R, Python, and BASH. When scheduling either a memory-intensive or time-dependent script, researchers must use BASH shell scripts to send scheduling instructions to Research Computing. Requests are put into a queue and the CIRCE Cluster executes those requests on a first-come-first-serve basis.

CIRCE is also home to our data, which is stored in a shared folder. After an approval process, all lab members have the authority to access this data. The shared folder contains our datasets and programming scripts.

Requesting Access

To request access, send an email from your official USF email address:

• TO: rc-help@usf.edu
• CC: Dr. Hagen
• SUBJECT: "CIRCE Account Request"
• BODY: Provide Dr. Hagen's name and email address.

Connection Methods

Once approved, you have many methods to connect with CIRCE. You can read about different methods to connect and access data here.

Linux -- Interactive Interface

If you have never remotely accessed another machine before, Research Computing recommends the free remote desktop called X2Go. It can be installed here. Instructions are located here. This linux-based remote desktop can run on Windows, MacOS, and Linux. It provides a virtual machine that runs on your computer where you can execute normal computer operations; these operations include using a file explorer, drag and drop, copy/paste, connecting to the internet with Firefox, and deploying programming scripts.

• Session Type: MATE 
• Host: circe.rc.usf.edu
• Login: Your USF NetID
• SSH Port: 22

FTP --  Move data to/from local machine to CIRCE

A File Transfer Protocol (FTP) client allows you to access CIRCE without a remote desktop. These clients are an option if you only need to move data to/from your local machine. A FTP client will not allow you to run scripts. Cyberduck is an FTP client available for macOS. WinSCP (shown on the right) is a popular FTP client for Windows. This client displays your local machine on the left and your target machine (CIRCE) on the right. The FTP interface allows you to easily drag/drop files across computers.

• Protocol: SFTP
• Host: circe.rc.usf.edu
• Login: Your USF NetID
• SSH Port: 22

SSH -- Terminal or CMD

If you prefer not to rely on a remote desktop application like x2Go, you can use a Secure Shell (SSH) client or the terminal on a Unix machine (either macOS or Linux). This connection method will allow you to to schedule and run scripts. The image to the right shows the Ubuntu Linux Distribution loading in Virtual Box on a Windows 10 computer. If you are using macOS, you can send commands directly through the built-in Terminal. On Windows, you may need to use PuTtY or another SSH client.

• Credentials: Your USF NetID and Password
• Hostname: circe.rc.usf.edu
• SSH Port: 22 (This is the default)
• Example Command Line: ssh NetID@circe.rc.usf.edu

How to Use Storage on CIRCE

Once approved, you should gain access to at-least 2 partitions (home and work)

Home Directory (250 GB of storage):

1. Path: home/first_initial/first_initial_last_name
2. Example: home/d/ddyson

Work Directory  (2 TB of storage):

1. Path: work/first_initial/first_initial_last_name
2. Example: work/d/ddyson

Shares Directory (shared cluster): 

1. Path: shares_bgfs/si_twitter

How to Use Scripts on CIRCE

Running jobs:

There are many ways to run scripts with linux. Here we will discuss three methods.

First you will need to request resources. DO NOT RUN SCRIPTS WITHOUT REQUESTING RESOURCES.

Request resources:

1. Inside X2go: https://youtu.be/0Q-8QFKbKdA
2. SSH from terminal/cmd: https://youtu.be/g2ad1pbYk8s 

- SLURM

- Batch scripts

Related

• Research Computing
• CIRCE cluster

External Links

• Interconnect for OpenHigh-Performance Computing